________________
852
GĪTĀ-RAHASYA OR KARMA-YOGA
संजय उवाच । $$ दृष्ट्वा तु पाण्डवानीकं व्यूढं दुर्योधनस्तदा ।
आचार्यमुपसंगम्य राजा वचनमब्रवीत् ॥ २ ॥ पश्यैतां पाण्डुपुत्राणामाचार्य महतीं चमूम् ।
व्यूढां द्रुपदपुत्रेण तव शिष्येण धीमता ॥३॥ and the sons of Pāņdu, desirous of war, do, when they assembled together, on the sacred field, the Kuruksetra ?
[The Kuruksetra is an open space of ground surrounding the city of Hastināpura. The present city of Delhi stands on this field. Kuru, the common ancestor of the Kauravas and the Pändavas, was ploughing this field laboriously by his own hands. That is why it is called 'ksetra' (or, field). It is said in the Bhārata, that, when Indra thereafter gave to Kuru the blessing that all those who would die on that field in war or while performing religious austerities, would obtain Heaven, Kuru stopped ploughing the field. (Ma. Bhā. Šalya. 53). As a result of this blessing, this field came to be called 'dharmaksetra' or 'sacred ground'. There is also a story that Paraśurāma killed all the Ksatriyas on twenty-one successive occasions on this field, and in that way offered a pious oblation to the manes of his deceased ancestors (made a pits-tarpana); and there have been big wars, even in modern times, on this field.]
Sañjaya said: *(2) Thereupon, seeing that the army of the Pāņdavas was (standing) drawn up in battle-array, the prince Duryodhana went to the Preceptor (Drona), and said
[It is stated in the chapters of the Mahābhārata before the Gitā that when Bhisma had first arranged the array of the Kaurava army, the Pāndavas, in accordance with the rules of war, arranged their army in an array (vyūha) called the 'Vajra'. (Ma. Bhā. Bhi. 19. 4–7; Manu. 7.191). During the course of the war, these military arrays
used to be changed every day. ] (3) O Ācārya ! behold this mighty host of the sons of Pāndu, of which the array has been arranged by your
"The words Dhstarästra said ', Sañjaya said ' etc. have been underlined by me, for distinction, though in the author's text they have not been so underlined-Trans.
